This is the final post in my miniseries on taking charge of your looks. And today we’re talking about makeup.

Makeup is so much more than just a visual thing, although it took me quite a few years to realize that. So for many years, I didn’t really care about makeup, because what was the point really. Except for a short spell in my early teens when I really wanted to blend in and heaped blue eye shadow and way too brown foundation on. They completed the tobacco jeans and buffalo shoes look. And I wore it because it made me into an average late 90s teen.

It was when I changed my clothes and hair that I stopped wearing makeup. Well, not completely. I tinted my eye lashes black every eight weeks, because somehow I understood that it made me look more beautiful, though how, I didn’t quite get. And I wore lipstick or lipgloss. But that was it.

I recently had a conversation with my secretary about makeup and I remember asking if makeup really had changed a lot since the 90s and early 2000s, because I remember makeup back then consisting mainly of powders. This was another reason I found makeup to be unnecessary. I have little or no control over powders and I didn’t feel confident doing it by myself.

Apart from the very basic, including eye shadow, which I realized existed as creams, my makeup was very minimal up until only a couple of years ago. Said secretary, who by the way said that yes, makeup had changed a lot in the past few years, introduced me to a whole set of new products I knew little or nothing about.

First up was CC cream and foundations that actually matched different skin colours. Whereas before I thought the whole point of foundation was for your face to be five shades darker than the rest of your body, I now understood that the purpose was to even out the colour of your face as well as possibly give you a natural glow. That slight tanned look, if you so wished.

She also introduced me to various cream make-ups. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know of their existence, at all, but finally I was explained why makeup made a difference and the point of wearing it. Not only that, but I did learn to work with powders, eye liners and mascara. Things I previously stayed well away from.

Now that I understand makeup to mainly be a tool for bringing out your original beauty, I find it a lot more fun and useful and wearing it makes me feel good about myself. I still prefer working with creams to powders, so I opt for cream eye shadows, blushers and so on. They are easier to apply with your hands and I like that since it gives me more control.

I still get my lashes tinted, but I’m no longer scared of mascara. My daily routine usually consists of foundation or CC cream which gives me a slightly tan look, brown eye liner, blusher, mascara and lipstick or lipgloss. My party routine involves a lot more. I have in fact shot a video where I apply makeup. And I’m planning on posting it here as soon as it’s up on YouTube.

If you’re looking to start wearing makeup or advance your routine. Find out what works for you. Creams or powders. Ask for makeup lessons of guidance from a friend or in stores where they often do them for free. The hardest bit if you can’t see at all is to identify the right colours. And I am a lot less experimental with new colours and ideas when it comes to makeup than when it comes to clothes. But don’t be afraid of doing so when you know your colour scheme and what look you wanna go for. Perhaps ask a sighted person you know and trust the first time you try to pull off something.

Another important point is not to despair if you’ve been out buying makeup alone, the sales assistant has told you how amazing it looks on you and then, when you get home, someone tells you it’s ok, but little out of colour. This happens to me a lot, especially when it comes to foundations, because some people think I look fair skinned and gives me a fair foundation which either is invisible, or pales me. Despite looking fair, my undertone is quite dark, so I have to go for medium to dark foundations. (Dark in a white skin context. That is.) This happens to sighted people too. Makeup is tricky for everyone who isn’t a total pro of course. So have fun with it and enjoy experimenting.

Lastly, I just need to point out that though blindies get praised up and down for finding the way to their local shop, getting degrees etc., they don’t get praised enough for laying the perfect eye liner. Trust me. It’s harder than crossing a busy street. LOL